


no better love that's laid beside me

by CGotAnAccount



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, SHEITH - Freeform, Soft Husbands, Sometimes life gets in the way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 13:04:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19724227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CGotAnAccount/pseuds/CGotAnAccount
Summary: Date night doesn't come often for the much abused Captain of the Atlas, or for his slightly more elusive Blade Leader husband.





	no better love that's laid beside me

Date night doesn't come often for the much abused Captain of the Atlas, or for his slightly more elusive Blade Leader husband. One would think that after saving the universe several times over they might actually get a scheduled block of free time, or at least a gift basket with tickets to a shoddy massage parlor, but so far all the thanks they've gotten is extra paperwork and approximately five minutes to breathe between meetings - which makes tonight all the more important to get right.

Unfortunately, romance has never been Keith's forte.

It's not that he doesn't try, he'd give anything to be able to come up with those stupid cutesy date ideas that Lance is always dragging Allura out on – not that he'd ever tell him that – but every time he thinks of something that maybe they could do together there's an emergency in Yag'xial quadrant, or Veronica needs Shiro for last minute paperwork, or the new guy on the bridge decides to elope with some drifter and needs to be replaced, or they're out of space toilet paper, or... whatever. Carving out time with Shiro feels like he's bailing out a submarine with a bucket.

After waiting so long to finally have Shiro like this in the first place it's nearly torture to be so close and still not able to actually enjoy the fact that the ring on his finger was put there by the man of his dreams. It's gotten bad enough that Keith is only mostly certain they sleep in the same bed, since one of them is often dead asleep by the time the other crawls under the covers or leaves for the morning.

He doesn't even want to talk about all the other uses the bed isn't seeing anymore.

Frankly it's a bit depressing, and it doesn't help that he's never quite stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop with this whole marriage thing. Not that Shiro would ever mean to hurt him – but it would probably be nice to be married to someone who he sees more than across a meeting room table.

Hence, date night – the safe obligatory romantic gesture that Keith clings to with both hands, if only because it contains the tattered shreds of hope that he might get to hold his husband's hand while conscious.

Hell, he'd settle for unconscious hand holding at this point if it keeps his husband happy.

Either way, tonight is going to be the night come hell, high water, Galra invasion, or anything else. If the universe will still exist in the next five hours then it isn't important enough to bother them – or so he told Veronica and the new communications officer, wearing what Lance calls his 'murder face' of course, and so far there have been no offending chirps from the communicator currently shoved in the bottom of his rucksack.

But that still doesn't solve the problem of the whole date thing – Shiro would never go for skipping off the ship when they're both technically supposed to be available at all times, and the list of things to do on the Atlas that could be considered passably fun is shorter than the latest meeting minutes.

Normally he'd just suggest they spar and hope it ends up in a joint shower, but Shiro's been running on fumes even more than he has, and it's a little too close to mandatory exercise for a date anyway.

Crippling indecision makes him grind his molars as he feels their time together slipping away like so much sand through his fingers. He's just about to give up and message Shiro to come back to their quarters for a much deserved nap when the Atlas non-emergency system pings him with the mandatory proximity warning for solar flares from the orbiting system and, well... they're both in a space program for a reason.

Gathering all the blankets in their quarters proves to be the cumbersome part – but scaring everyone else off the viewing deck with a well aimed snarl is so easy he might have to check in with human resources later. The mountains of cushions and fabric get lumped into a makeshift nest, just big enough for the two of them to watch the ambiance of the dying star.

It's perfect.

Now all he needs is his date.

'Come to viewing deck.'

Keith sends the message off with satisfied grunt and settles back into the mound of blankets, tugging the pajamas he'd brought for Shiro from his rucksack.

He gets the ping back less than a minute later.

'In a meeting.'

Sucking in a calming breath, Keith carefully taps out a message to Veronica as his nails start to elongate.

Five minutes later his husband strolls through the door, snorting as he catches sight of the mop of dark hair burrowed into the blankets.

“So what's the top secret emergency that the leader of the blades needed the captain of the Atlas for?”

Keith's nose wrinkles, barely visible. “Comfy.”

“You look it.” Shiro grins down at him before crouching to tug off his boots. “How'd you get these private front row seats?”

Keith flashes him a particularly pointy smile. “I asked nicely.”

Huffing a laugh, Shiro shuffles into the pile, gladly taking the pajamas as he shimmies out of his jacket. “I bet you did.” He leans over to press a kiss to his husband's forehead, pausing to breathe in the scent that makes his chest ache in the best way. “I missed you, baby.”

Keith wriggles closer in his cocoon of sheets, tucking his nose in Shiro's neck as his hands wander to help divest him of the bulky trousers. “Missed you too.” He sighs as Shiro slides a hand around his waist and tugs him even closer, pressing them flush together. “Missed this.”

“I know sweetheart.” Shiro's chest is a soothing rumble underneath his ear with every word. “I'm sorry I'm not around more.”

The mop of hair underneath Shiro's chin tickles his nose as Keith shakes his head. “S'not your fault.” His fingers clench against warm skin. “They're running you ragged.”

“Mhmm.” Shiro can't deny it, he's been feeling more and more like he's barely treading water these days. He hasn't seen Keith alone in god knows how long – not even to get a meal together, let alone for anything more than a sad smile across a table... but still. “It's no excuse though.”

Shiro can feel the furrow of Keith's brows where he's tucked into his collarbone, proof of the stubborn spirit that's saved him so many times, and he can't help his own smile. If he wasn't so utterly sure of Keith's devotion he might be worried about their marriage, but the man has died for him... a few months of wretched scheduling can't break their bond so easily.

But still... cute.

“Well, they're not gonna bother you tonight.” Keith grunts, squeezing around Shiro's middle like someone might lunge from the shadows and try to rip him away. “I think I've threatened half the ship if they so much as say your name for the next several hours.”

“I love you, baby.” Shiro sighs into his hair, shoulders slumping as the last bit of tension eases with the knowledge that they're officially off the hook. “You're so good to me.”

“Someone needs to look out for you.” Keith grumbles as he rubs his cheek against Shiro like an overgrown cat. “Since you won't do it yourself.”

“Well...” Shiro drawls, sweet as honey as he tips Keith's chin up to meet his eyes. “It's a good thing I have the best husband in the universe isn't it?”

Brilliant pink flares across Keith's cheeks at the tease, emotion wrinkling his nose again. He tries to duck his head but Shiro holds fast, grin blooming across his face before leaning in to press a kiss solidly to Keith's waiting lips. It's a simple thing, soft and sweet, but it breaks something loose in Keith's chest.

“Then please stay here with me. I promise I'll come up with better dates.” The words are no more than a whisper against Shiro's lips, but they carry a weight that makes him uneasy. “Please, I love you.”

“Baby?” Shiro pulls back, eyes searching as Keith sniffles once and cringes, trying to hide his face. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing, I just...” Keith trails off, shaking his head with a helpless shrug. “I know this isn't easy for you, but I swear I'll keep trying if you will.”

Shiro takes the words like a punch.

“Keith, sweetheart...” The words stick in Shiro's throat, stinging. “Loving you is easier than living.” Keith gives a little shudder and Shiro can't stop himself from gathering him into his arms, tucking the silky hair into his shoulder as he pets through it, breathing deeply to calm himself. “You are the only thing that matters to me.” His fingers clench against smooth skin as if he could force Keith inside of his chest to see that his heart only beats for him.

The mop of hair tucked under his chin nods. One wobbling hand reaches up to cup his face, titanium band glinting as a thumb strokes across his scar. The tip of a chin brings watery eyes into view, fragile and more devastating than Kosmo could ever hope to be.

“You promise?”

Shiro nods, turning to kiss the ring on Keith's finger.

“Every day of my life.”


End file.
